Summer is all about festivals; they're fun, full of cool people and they are great ways to discover new artists you may never have found otherwise. What better way to spend a weekend outdoors with a group of friends and awesome tunes? There's Osheaga, Lollapalooza, Governor's Ball, Sasquatch...and the list goes on.
If you're in California, here's one that celebrates art, sustainability, music, performance and life itself. Lightning in a Bottle is presented by The Do LaB and takes place this year at Lake Skinner County Park (Temecula, CA) on July 11th-15th.
"Our goal with the music is to create a positive and uplifting experience, with a good balance of beautiful melodic music and good old party music. After 4 months of in depth research and a lot of listening we tried to cover as many genres as possible that we feel fit the vibe that we're trying to create with Lightning in a Bottle."- Jesse Flemming, Co-Founder/Curator, The Do LaB.
Still not sure what it is? Check out this cool video:
They also released the lineup, announcing their latest addition: electro-pop duo Purity Ring. Who are you most excited to see?
Last weekend, I got to spend the day on set of Mandia Nantsios' upcoming music video for her single "Smile." I hung out with the 16-year-old Ottawa-based singer in Toronto and did an interview as well for an online feature for Faze Magazine.
I just thought I'd share a sneak peek before the article comes out (without spilling too many spoilers!) - Here are a few pics:
If
you love to see passion come to life on stage and a cast of incredibly talented
dancers, a national tour that hit the road this weekend is the perfect show for you. Shaping Sound Dance Company is traveling across North America with a
production that brings the “wow” factor. Founded by Travis Wall, Nick
Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson, following their stint as a reality
TV show (All The Right Moves), Shaping Sound has become something so much more.
The
theatre show kicked off in LA on May 18th and already I’ve come across tons
of great reviews online.I’m hoping I’ll
get a chance to see them live when they hit NYC. Here are the rest of the tour
dates:
Amongst
the cast members, there is even a bit of Canadian pride. 21-year-old Joey
Arrigo found his way from Toronto to Los Angeles and I got to chat with him
about his experience in the cast, what it’s like living in LA and what he’s
most looking forward to. (You may recognize him from So You Think You Can Dance
Canada.)
Christina
Dun: How are rehearsals going?
Joey
Arrigo: Rehearsals are absolutely amazing. This is my first project working
with this company and from the work that I’ve done before, it differs so much
because working with these guys is such an experience. Working with such
talented artists fuels you every day. Everyday is a good experience and I’m
always happy to be in the room. So rehearsals have been going amazing.
CD:
How did you get involved with the company?
JA:
I met all four boys working on conventions and going to conventions. I assisted
for JUMP Convention, where Teddy and Nick are teachers and just from assisting
their classes and working with them a lot, they asked me from there if I was
interested in being part of the company.
CD:
What are you most excited for?
JA:
First off, I’ve never been on a full tour of the United States before, even
working with conventions I go to these cities to work the conventions but I
don’t leave the hotel for the entire weekend so it’s like I haven’t even been
to the city. So it’s nice that I‘m going to get to go on a tour of the United
States and see all these cities and be able to actually see parts of the city
and perform in them and get to experience them. And also, since these four guys
have such a high-profile name in the country and are confident, it’s going to
be great to share the stage with them and I’m really excited to have my name
associated with the company.
CD:
What’s it like working with everyone?
JA:
The group dynamic is absolutely amazing. I feel that everywhere I’ve worked,
there’s always been somebody I butt heads with and I feel that there’s always
somebody I have to really work through to get along in the process of creation
in the show or whatever. But here, I just feel like everybody’s here for the
same reason and I feel like everybody’s here because they want to dance. They
want to do dance and it means something to them. And they want to create a good
show so everybody’s on the same page and there’s nobody I feel is holding back
or anything like that. I feel like we’re a good group and we’re working well
together, so I’m really excited about that.
CD:
How would you describe the show? What makes it unique?
JA:
It’s very story-driven. We all play characters in the show and it’s cool to
experience that side of a show when you can really explore the movement and
improve yourself as a dancer while trying to play a character. So I think that
really sets apart the show from other dance shows; it’s more than just dance,
it’s a full production. So I’m really excited about that.
CD:
What character do you play?
JA:
The character the boys have given me is that they’ve titled me “The Antagonist.”
So that’s someone who is the troublemaker in the show, the one who causes
problems. So I like that, just to add some shading to the show.
CD:
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve come across so far?
JA:
I guess the biggest challenge is that all the dancers in the show are actually
based here in LA, and I am not. I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life and I went
on a world tour with a company previous to this, so I didn’t have an address
and I was living out of a suitcase. And once again, right now I’m just staying
with one of the other company members, in their apartment. So basically, I feel
like I’m not at home, not at my home base working at this. Also being in LA, I
don’t have a car and it’s hard to access things. But I mean, I’m saying that’s
the hardest thing, and it’s not even that hard because I’m here and I’m doing
what I love. I’m here because this job is fulfilling and I wouldn’t say there’s
anything hard about this because I’m enjoying it so much.
CD:
How does the Toronto dance scene compare to the LA dance scene?
JA:
I would kind of say that it doesn’t. The Toronto dance scene is, well I mean, I
grew up there and I absolutely love Toronto, it’s such a great city. I love the
people there and everything and every time I go home I miss them so much and I
just miss the energy of Canadians. But the dance industry there, there’s just
not as much work there for a dancer. So everybody who is really serious about
making a dance career that have come from Toronto does whatever they can to get
their work visa to move to Los Angeles so they can have a successful career.
CD:
What pushes you to continue dancing?
JA:
Definitely I would say the aspect of getting better as a dancer and improving
as a dancer and not being the same dancer you were the day before. I know a lot
of dancers that get comfortable and then they realize they don’t like dancing
anymore because it gets boring to them and it becomes all the same. I feel like
the dancers who really try to push themselves really look at themselves and try
to be better than they were the day before, those are the dancers who stay
motivated and keep striving for passion.
CD:
What advice do you have for other aspiring dancers?
JA:
There’s really two things that fuel me as I was growing up, even now as a
professional and someone who keeps working in the dance industry. Definitely
number one is training and class and technique and knowing about your body and
knowing what your body can and can’t do. And trying to figure out ways to
improve and strengthen and make your body stronger so that you can dance the
way that you want to. So I would say training is number one. Number two is just
remembering why you love dance because the dance industry all over the world,
small and big, is full of so many things that can twist your brain and make you
question. It is an artsy industry so there are lots of things that twist your
brain. I would say that the number one thing is remembering why you love dance
and remembering that dancing is for you and not for anybody else. Keeping your
sanity is definitely important.
In the latest issue of Faze Magazine, there is a "Prom Personalities" spread that I got to help out with, which highlights some fabulous outfits and awesome photography by Richard Sibbald. But while assisting on set, I was also taking notes for an online article based on those looks to come up with some style tips for this year's prom go-ers. The article just went up last week so I thought I'd share!
I've been working on having more giveaways on the blog so here's another one for you! It's a beauty prize pack, but I've got some fashion and entertainment ones coming up as well :)
Here's what's up for grabs this week:
- Vera Wang Lovestruck 'Floral Rush' perfume sample
- NYC New York Color 'Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer'
- NYC New York Color 'City Curls' mascara
- Bath & Body Works mini Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel
- NYC New York Color 'Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm'
- NYC New York Color 'High Definition Liquid Eyeliner'
- Broadway Nails 'imPRESS Press-On Manicure' (brown)
- Sally Hansen 'Real Nail Polish Strips'
TWO WAYS TO ENTER:
1. Follow me on Twitter (@christinaaa28) & retweet THIS:
As soon as I finished my last (and only...) exam for the semester, I took the opportunity to fly home back to the west coast for a quick visit. As much as I love my city life in Toronto, I do enjoy going over to BC for its relaxed, laid-back vibe - not to mention, it's also nice to go home to my old bedroom and a kitchen that's always stocked with food... I always act like such a tourist when I'm in Vancouver, wandering downtown taking photos (like the one above: Gastown is so pretty). And plus, I lucked out with the weather; it was gorgeous!
Anyways, I just thought I'd share some of the highlights:
I love thrift store shopping in my hometown, so of course I made a trip out to my local Salvation Army (they were having a 50% off sale one day, perfect timing!). My finds:
- Grey tailored trousers with leather detailing
- Floral silk blouse
- One Day by David Nicholls
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
- Pale pink heels
- FRYE leather/wooden platforms
All for a whopping $12
I was invited back to my old high school to be a guest teacher for two dance classes one day. I used to be super involved with the dance program back in the day, so it was really nice to go back and see what it's like now. I taught two hip hop choreography pieces: "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and "Bomb" by Chris Brown.
I was actually invited a second time back to my high school, but this time I got to be a guest speaker for a Creative Writing class - I loved meeting students who love writing and are interested in turning it into a career! And of course I brought copies of Faze Magazine to show them as well :)
Like in any other Canadian household, hockey is huge. And since it's playoff time, I thought I should probably go to a game. So I went to a Canucks game (thanks Dad!) and actually got pretty into it. Sadly we lost, but the highlight for me was definitely the drunk guy sitting next to me who caught a free T-shirt and gave it to me.
And then there was the food. I love Vancouver restaurants.
Left: Red Robin (downtown Vancouver) - oh how I love their 'Freckled Lemonade' | Right: The Hemingway (White Rock) - I could eat breakfast ALL day. What made this awesome meal even better was the price; $8.40 for this delicious plate of wonderfulness! | Below: Burgoo (Main Street, Vancouver) - LOVED this place; comfort food at it's finest.
Overall, I had a great two-week visit at home. But now that I'm back in Toronto, it's back to work!
- Christina Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28
While I was visiting Vancouver last week, I was invited to a pre-screening of Iron Man 3, the latest Marvel flick.
The west coast preview event took place at The Scotiabank Theatre downtown on May 1st and it was packed. There were even prizes and a raffle draw for some Iron Man swag.
I honestly have never seen the first two Iron Man movies (I know, I know...I'll get to them eventually) but I was still able to follow along. I actually loved it. A perfect combo of action-packed goodness, sarcastic humour and romance. Not to mention Robert Downey Jr. is just such a cool human being.
Here's the trailer for those who are strangely unfamiliar:
Anyways, I definitely recommend going to see it for yourself. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll leave it at that. Oh and some photos, courtesy of marvel.com
Iron Man 3 came out in theatres on May 3rd and had a great opening weekend at the box office! What did you guys think of it?
Last month, I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the CollegeFashionista style gurus to get to write a feature about their own campus fashion for a special weekly column on The Huffington Post. My job was to find Ryerson University's ultimate trendsetter, someone to perfectly sum up our style here on our Toronto city campus. And I found her.
When I got the assignment, Dani Reynolds was the first person to come to mind. How I'd describe her style: fresh and fun - exactly what I needed for this feature. She's a co-worker of mine at Topshop, as well as an intern at MTV FORA (MTV's fashion blog).
If you haven't already got your hands on a copy of the latest issue of Faze Magazine yet, be sure to check it out! American pop sensation Austin Mahone graces the cover, plus there are tons of fun articles inside. I contributed to this issue with interviews ft. Icona Pop and Scotty James and I also assisted with the prom style shoot.
Take a look:
Spot me in the Hot Pix pages?
Scotty James Article
Icona Pop Article
'Prom Personalities' Style Shoot
You can find Faze in Indigo/Chapters locations and online at www.faze.ca
- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28
